link(s) please to confirm this cause if true it would be great. have heared of nuclear project before as part of JIMO project .

JIMO =JUPITER ICY MOONS ORBITER- That craft will probably be the first nuclear powered craft ever launched or it will be a combo ion xenon nucelar craft

NEXIS= NUCLEAR ELECTRIC XENON ION SYSTEM

BUT WE are ways ways from JIMO expected to be launched in the comming decade it will probably be scraped like the hubbel and shuttle to make way for the new shuttle and moon base etc.

yes i know ive been studying the ion drive for quite some time. And project prometheus is a NUCLEAR powerd propulsion system not ion nuclear ion system would be NEXIS- NUCLEAR ELECTRIC XENON ION SYSTEM. the reason for this post is that nasa has given the green light for this project and will be getting the money for it. Also they are not commenting on anything about it. And in the past project prometheus was just a plan now its going full steam.

Prometheus ???

When I saw the name my first thought was terraforming.

Prometheus is a character from Greek mythology.The legend goes that Prometheus took fire from the gods and gave it to man on Earth.His punishment for this was harsh though,he was nailed to a tree and every morning an eagle would come down and eat his liver while he still lived.Each night his body would regenerate and the next morning the eagle would come back again for it's grisly breakfast.

The name has been associated with Christ figures,those that make sacrifices for mankind.Odin was nailed to a tree and ofcourse Christ was nailed to a man made tree.

The full title of Mary Shelley's book was "Frankenstein,or the Modern Prometheus"

It seems a funny name just for a space project.For instance Apollo was obvious as he was the messenger of the gods.

In the light of this anyone have any idea why it might be called Prometheus?

In greek myth Prometheus is a TITAN the wisest to the Titans so I could see why they are using that name.

Also in 2006 Nasa is planing to launch New Horizons. A probe to Pluto & Charon then the kuiper belt. The rough plan was to use the new ion propulsion and using jupiters grav pull to slingshot the craft towards Pluto. Now the project may be under Prometheus using nuke prowerd systems.

I can confirm it. I can also tell you NASA secret propulsion work is nothing new. A matter of fact it dates back to the 1960s. Though it really got rolling in 1982 due to an initiative started by Regan.

Ok i sent a e-mail to jpl and im waiting for a response on my question on the status or any further information concerning the project will just have to wait and see. And I know there have always been adv propulsion system studies but this one is the most contreversial one. And there isnt a lot known about it . Just one poor webpage on Nasa's site.

Great site Mark im goning to be doing a lot of reading then tonight. Still what i skimed through there isnt much detail about the project just about JIMO and thats the extent of it. But, isnt NASA doing a restructuring someone said like starfleet? Maybe after the revamp we will hear some more about this.

oh yeah many try Project prometheus cause project is called that way there is another one which could be used its NSI or better use Nuclear Science Initiative
also try Nuclear space propulsion


[Edited on 22-1-2004 by MarkLuitzen]

Originally posted by John bull 1
Prometheus ???

When I saw the name my first thought was terraforming.

Prometheus is a character from Greek mythology.The legend goes that Prometheus took fire from the gods and gave it to man on Earth.His punishment for this was harsh though,he was nailed to a tree and every morning an eagle would come down and eat his liver while he still lived.Each night his body would regenerate and the next morning the eagle would come back again for it's grisly breakfast.

The name has been associated with Christ figures,those that make sacrifices for mankind.Odin was nailed to a tree and ofcourse Christ was nailed to a man made tree.

The full title of Mary Shelley's book was "Frankenstein,or the Modern Prometheus"

It seems a funny name just for a space project.For instance Apollo was obvious as he was the messenger of the gods.

In the light of this anyone have any idea why it might be called Prometheus?

I agree about the oddity of Prometheus. Perhaps it's a planned "First Contact" mission? That would make sense, in context, with the mission bringing knowledge from "the heavens" down to earth. Just a thought.

As for Apollo, he wasn't actually the messenger -- that was Mercury/Hermes.

[Edited on 1/22/2004 by TheDemonHunter]

"As for Apollo, he wasn't actually the messenger -- that was Mercury/Hermes."

I'm happy to stand corrected.

Thanks for more background on Prometheus, MarkLuitzen. I freely admit my specialty is not Greek Mythology when it comes to ancient religions.

But I guess I do know enough to correct a Super Mod sometimes, Johnbull1! Not really a big deal though. We all make mistakes.

the strangest thing about prometheus...

"One of the Titans. He stole fire from the gods and gave it to mankind, and was severely punished for it. "

Its an old story but what the hell do they mean with the fire from the gods. Some people think nuclear power. but way back then.. only possible if they used it wrong and trowed back humankind into the stone ages....